2020 Chateau Pichon-Longueville au Baron, Pauillac 1,5 l

Tasted blind. Black core with purple rim. Rather charry and oaky on the nose, almost hiding seductively pure damson fruit. Deep-fruited, firmly tannic and serious rather than inviting on the palate. Savoury dark power. Very marked by the oak. (JH)

The 2020 Pichon Baron has a delineated, slightly conservative but brilliantly focused bouquet that opens gloriously with time in the glass: black cherries, blueberry and cassis tinged with graphite. The palate is medium-bodied with succulent and juicy tannins that disguise the structure underneath. There's a real peacock's tail on this Pauillac, and it's a long-term prospect. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.

The brilliant 2020 Pichon-Longueville Baron offers up inviting aromas of sweet berries and cassis mingled with pipe tobacco, loamy soil, pencil shavings and licorice. Medium to full-bodied, deep and layered, its velvety attack segues into a concentrated mid-palate that's framed by rich, powdery tannins, concluding with a long, vibrant finish. A blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon and 24% Merlot, it's a true classic that's a touch less demonstrative out of the gates than the sensual 2019, but which in the fullness of time will prove every bit as good.